Sky writing



April 20, 1926. 1,581,521

O. H. SNYDER ET AL SKY WRITING Filed Sept. 20, 1924 w m M 111 VENTOR 0.50521 L der WHfiroolr/ey A TTORNE Y ///////4VI/IWWWA? Patented Apr. 20, 1926.

UNITED STATES I 1,581,521 PATENT OFFICE.

ORVAL H. SNYDER AND WENDELL H. BROOKLEY, OI DAYTON, OHIO.

SKY WRITING.

Application filed September 20, 1924. Serial No. 738,895.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ORVAL H. SNYDER and WENDELL H. BROOKLEY, citizens of the United States, residing at Dayton, 1n the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sky Writing, of whlch the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sky writing.

The main object of the invention is the provision of a new method of, and means for, producing aerial pyrotechnic signs suspended in the air so as to form slowly, de-

scending illuminated signals visible from the ground.

Further objects will be more fully set fortlr-in the attached specification, in the claims, and in the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an airplane equipped with a series of chutes by means of which thesignals are expelled.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the chutes. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic wiring diagram of the chutes, showing themanner in which they are attached to the sending keys. Fig. 4 is a section on a line 4--4 of Fig.i 2. Italso corresponds to a section on the ne 44. of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal central section of one of the tubes corresponding to the line 55 of Fig. 4, and showing the details of the flare spheres.

Referring more particularly -to the drawings byreference numerals: 1 is a fuselage of an airplane, provided with the usual sustaining, propelhng and steering devices, and

it is provided near the central portion of the bottom thereof with a rack 2 provided with a series of downwardly extending chutes or tubes which flare outwardly, relatively, in a downward direction. These tubes are mounted on a spherical surface plate a so as to be perpendicular to the surface thereof, audit will therefore be understood that the angle at which the tube is mounted to a true vertical depends upon its relative position on the surface 4. These tubes are so positioned relativelyto one another that certain of them taken collectively can form the letters desired, and the embodiment of our invention which has been used for purposes of illustration, the chutes have been so located as to'send out the letbe used to spell the word races, but the ispherical part 10.

cetera, the ejector tubes. Within each tube.

is held one or more spherical-balls, 8, each adapted to contain a flare and a parachute. The sphere 8 is formed of two hemispherical portions 9 and 10 'which may be made of cardboard, and these two hemisphericalportions are held together by a layer of paper of similar material pasted over the-'- joint and pasted to each of the hemispherical portions. Vithin the portion 9 is a folded parachute l1, having shroud lines 12, which extend through a central disc shaped washer 13 so as to be attached toa flare 14 of generally hemispherical shape which preferably -fills the space within the hem- The disc shaped washer 13 is mounted in the center of the sphere so as to separate the two hemispherical portions and within the center of the washer is a small charge of explosive 15 which when fired is adapted to explode with just sufiicient force so as to' break the paper connecting the two hemispherical portions and permit the release of the flare and parachute from the sphere. The explosive 15 is ignited by means of a time fuse 16 of known length, the end of which extends into and isv ignited by a charge of powder 17 contained in the upper portion of the tube 7 and directly over a wad or washer 18 which serves to confine the charge 17. A washer '19 of suitable soft material is held betweensthe disc washer 18 and the sphere 8, and transmits the explosiveforce when the powder 17 is ignited, to the sphere, by means of a spherical surface fitting the surface of the sphere, as clearly shown on the drawing. When a plurality of the spheres are mounted, so as to be expelled I from a single tube, the position of the powder charge 17 is similar in respect to the tube and to the sphere which it expels. A'second confining wad 20 and a second soft washer 21 is mounted on the outside of each of the spheres, hence it will therefore be seen that the outside wad and soft wash- "ers of one sphere actas a fixed wall against which the explosive may act as regards a second sphere. The powder charges 17 and 17' are ignited by means of electrical squibs 21 which are set off by mans of completing electrical circuits to the wires 22. Each squib contained in a small angularly extending entrance tube 23 which is fastened in the side of the main chute 7.

In Fig. 3 it will be noted that the three transmitting keys, 24, and 26, are connected in series with a battery 27 and with one or more of the electrical squibs in the various tubes 3. It will be noted that the transmitter 24 is connected to a series of the tubes of the rack which are positioned to letter A. The transmitter 25 is connected to a series of the tubes so as to form the letter I, and the transmitter 26 similarly forms the letter R. The first letter which is sent from the airplane when it is desired to write the word AIR in the sky is, of course, the letter A. To send it the pilot closes the switch 2=l and the battery 27 is thereby connected to the electrical squibs. of the series of spheres to be ejected. In case there are two or more spheres in the same tube,-the one placed closest to the endwould, of course, be the first one fired, and that one would beconnected to the transmitter 24. The charges of powder 17 and 17 for all of the tubes and for all of the spheres are similar so as to give an initial expulsion force to the spheres of-a definite amount which will be equal in all cases. Due .to the manner in, which the tubes are flared relatively to one another in a downward direction, the spheres are spread out downwardly so as to form a letter of a size exceeding that of the entire airplane, if desired. After the simultaneous expulsion of the series of spheres to form the letter A, thespheres'travel downwardly for a predetermined time depending upon the length of the time fuses 16, all of which are similar,

so that the spheres of the series forming the letter A are simultaneously. broken in half- Fy the explosions of the charges 15 therein. The parachutes and flares are therebyfreed from the enclosing pasteboard shells and the parachutes immediately open. Each flare 14 is ignited by the connection between the charge 15 and thelower part of the flare; During the time that the spheres are falling and before they open, they all maintain theirrespective positions in space, in a horizontal plane, defining the letter intended. At the time they are broken apart and during the time the parachutes are opening and the flares are falling, they stillmaintain their respective'positions and places and form. As soon as the parachutes open a slowly descending signal is clearlyvisible from the ground-.

, Afterthe letter A has been sent from the airplane a definite time interval elapses be fore the operatorof the signal closes the sec- 'letters' will be positioned sideways on the bottom of the airplane, so that as the airplane travels forward before transmitting a second letter, the letters will be placed side by side in their proper position .I t will be obvious that the distance below the airplane at which the flares and parachutes are released from the spherical containers, and also the size of the letters may be varied according to the amount of powder which is placed in the charges 17 for the spheres, and also by varying the length oi the time fuses 16 in the spheres. It is intended however that the length of all of the time fuses of a lettershould be equal to that all of the flares and parachutes of a letter will be released simultaneously. The use of spherical containers for the flares and parachutes insures their falling in their 1. Means for producing aerial pyrotechnic signs, comprising, in combination with I an aircraft, a plurality of spherical shells means attachlngesaid shells to the aircraft,

a flare and a parachute attached thereto within each shell, electrical means for simultaneously releasing a number of said shells from the aircraft to outline the desired sign horizontally in the sky, and means for releasing the flarcs and parachutes from saidshells after a predetermined time interval from saidrelease.

2. Means for producing aerial pyrotechnic signs, comprising, in combination with an aircraft, a plurality of spherical shells formed of halves loosel attached together, means for attaching said shells to the .aircraft, a flare with a parachute attached thereto within each shell, electrical means for simultaneously releasing a number of said shells from the aircraft to outline the desired sign in the sky and means for separating the halves of the shells after a predetermined time interval from their release to release the flares and the parachutes in the air. x

3. Means for producing aerial pyrotechnic signs comprising, in combination with an aircraft, a plurality of tubes carried thereby, means for mounting said tubes so that they are all flared downwardly in divergent relation to each other, a series of containers insaid tubes, a parachute with a flare within each container, a plurality of electrical circuits connected to some of the containers in the tubes, a key for closing each circuit and an explosive means for simultaneously expelling said containers from the tubes in groups to outline the desired sign in the sky when said keys are closed.

4. Means for producing aerial pyrotechnic signs comprising, in combination with an aircraft, a plurality of'tubes carried thereby, means for mounting said tubes so that they are all flared downwardly in divergent relation to each other, a series ofspherical containers in said tubes, a parachute with a flare within each container, a plurality of electrical circuits connected to some of the containers in the tubes, a key for closing each circuit and an explosive means for simultaneously expelling said containers from the tubes in groups to outline the desired sign in the sky when said keys are closed, and explosive means for bursting said containers a predetermined time interval after their expulsion from the aircraft.

5. Means for producing aerial pyrotechnic signs, comprising, in combination with an aircraft, a plurality of receptacles carried thereby, means for mounting said receptacles so that they are all flared downwardly in relation to each other, pyrotechnic flares attached to parachutes, arranged Within said receptacles, spherical containers for said flares and parachutes, means for simultaneously expelling a group of said spherical containers to outline the desired sign horizontally in the sky and means for releasing the flares and parachutes from said containers after a predetermined time interval from vsaid expulsion.

6. Means for producing aerial pyrotechnic signs, comprising, in combination with an aircraft, a plurality of tubes carried thereby, means for mounting said tubes so that they are all flared downwardly in relation to each other, a series of spheres in said tubes, said spheres being formed of two hemispherical parts, weakly attached together, a parachute and a flare Within each sphere, means foro simultaneously expelling a group of said spheres from the said tubes, and means for releasing the flares and parachutes in said containers after a predetermined time interval and for simultaneously igniting said flares for the purpose describe l A In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

ORVAL H. SNYDER; WENDELL H. BROOKLEY. 

